The Dallas Cowboys have hired Monte Kiffin as defensive coordinator, the team announced on Friday. Kiffin replaces Rob Ryan, who was fired this week after two years in the coordinator role.

Most recently, Kiffin, 72, was defensive coordinator at USC, where he worked under his son, Lane Kiffin. After USC’s defense struggled down the stretch, Monte Kiffin resigned from the job.

Kiffin ran a 4-3 scheme in his 13-year stint as a highly respected coordinator with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1996-2008), so he presumably will scrap the Cowboys’ 3-4 and implement a four-man front. That would mean DeMarcus Ware would move from a 3-4 outside linebacker to a 4-3 end.

"Monte Kiffin's level of experience and track record of success as an NFL defensive coordinator are unmatched," Cowboys head Jason Garrett said. "He has produced NFL defensive units that have consistently performed at a high level in a scheme that has stood the test of time."

Kiffin was part of Jon Gruden’s staff in Tampa that won a Super Bowl after the 2002 season. Elements of Kiffin's "Tampa 2" zone-based scheme have been adopted throughout the league. The Buccaneers finished in the top 10 in total defense and scoring defense in 11 of Kiffin's 13 years.

"I came away from the interview process with Jason with a feeling that Dallas is the right place to be," Kiffin said. "They're close, and I am confident that there are quality pieces in place for us to be able to get the job done."

Kiffin spent 26 years in the NFL as an assistant before returning to the college football in 2009 at Tennessee after Lane Kiffin was hired by the school. In 2010, he moved to USC with his son.

According to an ESPN report, Andy Reid had his eye on Kiffin for the Chiefs' defensive coordinator job, but Kiffin wasn’t interested in that position.